Convertible garden tiller

ABSTRACT

A convertible garden tiller includes a chassis, a pair of wheels supporting the chassis, an engine mounted on the chassis capable of driving the wheels in a given direction and a plurality of earth working tines. Each tine is generally unidirectional, having a preferred direction of movement through the earth and is disposed on an elongated tine shaft which rotates about a longitudinal axis in response to operation of the engine. The tine shaft is also pivotable 180 degrees about a transverse axis, to selectively rotate the tines in the given direction as well as the second direction. This construction therefore provides that each tine moves through the earth only in its preferred direction of movement. The tiller also includes guide handles which are selectively pivotable from a position above the tines to a position above the wheels for alternately converting from a rear tine mode to a front tine mode. The wheels are driven by the engine when the guide handles are disposed in the rear tine mode and are automatically disengaged from the engine when the handles are pivoted to convert the tiller to the front tine mode. Further, the tines are replaceable with other implements such as an edger, aerator, power rake, snow-thrower or sickle bar.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.08/519,730, filed on Aug. 28, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,420.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to lawn and garden equipment and moreparticularly to a tiller which is convertible to selectively operate infront tine and rear tine configurations, as well as in both SRT and CRTmodes.

2. Background Information

Several types of garden tillers exist for performing various tillingoperations in gardens, flower beds, lawns and the like. Examples ofthese types include rear tine SRT ("standard rotating tine") tillers,rear tine CRT ("counter rotating tine") tillers and front tine tillers,also commonly referred to as cultivators. While each of these deviceswill till the earth, each particular construction is optimized fordiscrete operating conditions or operations.

One type of tiller is known as a rear tine SRT tiller. This machinetypically includes power driven drive wheels, power driven tines and ahandle which extends over the tines. Thus, during operation, the tinesare located between the drive wheels and the operator. The designationSRT indicates that the tines rotate in the same forward direction as thedrive wheels and thus cooperate with the wheels to propel the tillerforwardly. These types of tillers are best suited for tilling previouslytilled soil or light sandy soil. SRT tillers are also very well suitedfor power composting.

Rear tine SRT tillers are not however, without their drawbacks. Inparticular, these machines are not particularly well suited for tillinghard soil, as the tines tend to skip and till only to a very shallowdepth. In addition, they tend to be cumbersome and difficult to maneuverin tight areas, such as around existing plants or other obstacles.

Another type of tiller is known as a rear tine CRT tiller. This machineis structurally similar to the rear tine SRT tiller, with the exceptionthat the tines rotate in the opposite direction, namely, opposite to thedirection of rotation of the drive wheels. This construction solves someof the problems associated with the SRT tiller described hereinabove,namely, the tines penetrate to a deep depth even in hard soil or soilwhich has not been tilled previously. A general disadvantage however, ofthis approach is that the drive wheels tend to lose traction relative tothe deep digging "counter rotating" tines. As a result, the tiller maystop moving forward or may even be pulled rearwardly against the forwardpull of the drive wheels. Consequently, such tillers are generally verylarge and heavy, commonly in excess of 200 pounds, to provide the wheelswith sufficient traction to consistently overcome the rearward pull ofthe tines. A drawback of such large machines however, is that they canbe inefficient and cumbersome to operate for relatively light dutytilling, such as home garden use or other small area tilling. CRTtillers are also not suited for power composting.

A further type of tiller is known as a front tine tiller or cultivator.Such a machine typically includes a pair of non-driven wheels, powerdriven tines and a handle which extends over the wheels. Duringoperation, the wheels are located between the tines and the operator andthe tines rotate in the forward direction to propel the tillerforwardly. This type of tiller tends to be highly maneuverable andideally suited for relatively light duty operations such as tillingsmall areas or areas between and around plants or other obstacles. Thefront tine tiller however, is not the best choice for routine tillingoperations since the wheels trail the tines and therefore tend to leavetracks or ruts in the freshly tilled earth.

Rather than necessitate owning a separate machine for each of the abovedescribed tilling operations, it is desirable to have a single machinecapable of operating effectively in more than one mode. For example, itwould be convenient to provide a single tiller which is capable ofoperating in both rear tine SRT and CRT modes for effectively tillingboth previously tilled earth, as well as hard packed soil. This mayconceivably be accomplished by providing a reversing transmission forselectively changing the direction of rotation of the tines. Asignificant drawback of this approach however, is that the bestperforming tines tend to be unidirectional, having a preferred directionof movement through the soil. Generally speaking, such tines have convexleading edges and concave trailing edges. The convex leading edge servesto smoothly cut into and lift the soil while effectively allowing rootsand grass to slide off the tine. Using a transmission to simply shiftthe tines into reverse rotation results in the tines moving through thesoil leading with the concave, rather the convex surface. Such backwardsmovement is undesirable because the concave surface tends to snag andbecome entangled in roots, grass and other debris. Accordingly, thisapproach produces an inefficient CRT tiller.

It is, therefore, desirable to provide a single tilling machine that canbe quickly and easily converted by a user to several different operatingmodes, including both front and rear tine operation, as well as SRT andCRT tine rotation, while moving the tines through the earth only intheir preferred direction of movement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one embodiment of the invention, a convertible gardentiller includes a chassis, at least a pair of ground engaging wheelssupporting the chassis, an engine mounted on the chassis capable ofdriving said wheels in a given direction and earth working tinesdisposed on the chassis to rotate in response to operation of theengine. Each tine has a preferred direction of movement through theearth and the tines are selectively rotatable in the given direction andin a second direction opposite to the given direction, while each tinemoves through the earth only in its preferred direction of movement.

According to a second embodiment of the invention, a convertible gardentiller includes a chassis, at least a pair of ground engaging wheelssupporting the chassis, an engine mounted on the chassis, earth workingtines disposed on the chassis to rotate in response to operation of saidengine and a depth regulator by which the earth working tines aremaintained at a predetermined depth in the earth during tillingoperations. A hood is disposed over the tines, the hood being disposedintegrally with the depth regulator.

According to a third embodiment of the invention, a convertible gardentiller includes a chassis, at least a pair of ground engaging wheelssupporting the chassis, and guide handles disposed on the chassis bywhich an operator may guide the tiller. An engine is mounted on thechassis for selectively driving the wheels in a given direction, earthworking tines are disposed on the chassis to rotate in response tooperation of the engine, and the handles are selectively pivotable froma position above the wheels to a position above the tines forselectively converting from a front tine to a rear tine tiller. Theground engaging wheels are selectively drivingly engaged by the enginein response to the pivotable movement of the handles.

The above and other advantages of this invention will be more readilyapparent from a reading of the following description of an exemplaryembodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the following drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is perspective view of the tiller of the present invention in therear tine SRT mode;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1, with the tiller in rear tineCRT mode;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2, with the tiller in fronttine mode;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the tiller of FIG. 3 withoutthe tines;

FIG. 5A is a broken away perspective view of the gearbox of the tillerof FIG. 4;

FIG. 5B is cross-sectional plan view, with portions removed, taken along5B--5B of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a portion of the tiller of FIGS. 1-4,with portions thereof in phantom;

FIG. 6B is a plan view of a portion of the tiller of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view taken along 6C--6C of FIG. 6B;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view, with portions shown in phantom, of aportion of the tiller of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view, with portions shown in phantom, of thetiller of the present invention in the wheel engage mode of FIGS. 1 and2;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along 9--9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to that of FIG. 8, of the tiller of thepresent invention in the wheel disengage mode of FIG. 3;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a portion of the tiller of FIGS. 8 and10;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along 12--12 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional front view of the transmission of thetiller of FIGS. 8 and 10 in the wheel engage mode;

FIG. 14 is a view similar to that of FIG. 13, of the transmission in thewheel disengage mode;

FIG. 15 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of the tiller ofFIGS. 1-4;

FIG. 16 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3, with the tines replacedwith an aerator attachment;

FIG. 17 is a view similar to that of FIG. 16, with the tines replacedwith an edger attachment; and

FIG. 18 is a view similar to that of FIG. 17, with the tines replacedwith a dethatcher or power rake attachment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Briefly summarized, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, the invention generallycomprises a single tiller 30 which is selectively convertible to operatein at least three discrete modes. The first mode, (FIG. 1) is that of arear tine SRT tiller. In this mode handles 32 are disposed over tines34, wherein during operation, the tines are disposed between wheels 36and the operator or user. In this mode, the tines rotate in the samedirection as the wheels and each individual tine moves through the earthin the preferred direction of movement, leading with convex leading edge38. In a second mode, (FIG. 2) tiller 30 has been converted to a reartine CRT tiller in which the tines remain disposed between the wheelsand the operator. However, in this mode, the tines "counter rotate" in adirection opposite that of the wheels. Although the rotation has beenreversed, each individual tine still moves through the earth in thepreferred direction of movement, leading with convex leading edge 38.This action has been accomplished by rotating power take off gearbox 40about output shaft housing 42 as will be discussed in detailhereinafter. In a third mode, (FIG. 3) tiller 30 has been converted to afront tine tiller or cultivator. This conversion was accomplished bypivoting the handles 180 degrees about a vertical axis to dispose wheels36 between tines 34 and the operator. The pivotal movement of thehandles serves to automatically disengage the wheels from the engine.The tiller is thereby propelled along the ground by rotation of thetines. The tines rotate in the CRT direction, while each individual tinestill moves through the earth in the preferred direction of movement,namely leading with convex leading edge 38.

Referring in detail to FIG. 1, tiller 30 of the present inventionincludes a chassis 44 which is supported by a pair of ground engagingwheels 36 disposed on a wheel axle 37. An engine 46 is disposed on thechassis and serves to drive wheels 36. In a preferred embodiment, theengine is disposed in such a manner that a horizontally disposed engineoutput shaft (not shown) extends into a pulley housing 72, wherein apulley or sprocket disposed on the engine output shaft drives a belt orchain (not shown) engaged with an input shaft (not shown) of atransmission 45. The transmission drives wheel axle 37, which in turndrives the wheels in the direction indicated by arrow a to propel thetiller in a forward direction. For purposes of clarity, throughout thisdisclosure the reverse direction shall refer to the direction in whichhandles 32 extend and the forward direction shall refer to the directionopposite thereto.

As shown, engine 46 is disposed directly over the wheels, whereinnominally the full weight of the engine is applied to the wheels foraiding traction. This contrasts from typical prior art rear tine tillerconstruction in which the engine is cantilevered forward of the wheelsto counterbalance the weight of the machine in an effort to make suchheavy machines easier to handle for the average user. Such cantileveredconstruction has generally been accomplished by disposing the engine infront of the pulley housing 72, with the engine output shaft extendingin the rearward direction to engage the pulley housing from forward oroutboard side 76 thereof.

By contrast, the orientation of the present invention is accomplished byreversing the orientation of the engine 180 degrees relative to theprior art. In this manner, the engine output shaft operatively engagespulley housing 72 from the rearward or inboard side 74 thereof, ratherthan from outboard side 76.

Referring back to FIG. 1, a transmission output shaft 47 (FIG. 4) whichwill be discussed hereinafter, is rotatably driven by transmission 45about axis d and is disposed within an output shaft housing 42. Theoutput shaft housing extends longitudinally from chassis 44 andterminates at gearbox 40. The gearbox rotatably supports a tine shaft 48on which the tines 34 are rigidly disposed. The tine shaft, includingtines 34, is rotatable in the SRT direction (indicated by arrow b) aboutaxis c.

Hood 50 is disposed over the tines 34 and is secured on one end thereofby engagement with upper slots or hooks 52 of the chassis. An elongateddepth regulator 54 is integrally disposed on hood 50, extendingorthogonally therefrom to releasably engage a nose or bracket 56 of thegearbox 40 to fully secure the hood in position. The depth regulator andhood attachment will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter. Depthregulator 54 has a curved lower portion which terminates in a lower end58 disposed in a substantially horizontal position for engaging theearth during operation of the tiller. Lower end 58 points away from thechassis in the reverse direction during such operation. The hood alsocomprises a hinged extension 61 disposed thereon which serves toadjustably maintain the hood in contact with the ground regardless ofthe height at which the hood is disposed on the tiller. Thus, the depthregulator may be adjusted to various depths and the hood may be disposedin either upper hooks 52 or lower hooks 60 (as will be discussedhereinafter) and still serve to protect a user from unintentionallycontacting the tines during tilling operations.

Referring now to FIG. 2, gearbox 40 has been pivoted 180 degrees aboutaxis d to dispose tines 34 for rotation in the CRT direction, asindicated by arrow e. In this mode of operation, tine shaft 48 andaccordingly, tines 34 are disposed at a lower position relative to thechassis as a consequence of the vertical offset between the axes c and dwhich will be discussed hereinafter. The hood 50 is thus disposed inlower slots or hooks 60. The specific engagement of hood 50 with theslots or hooks will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter.

This rear tine CRT tiller construction tends to contradict the teachingsof the prior art. Namely, the present invention is relativelylightweight, weighing nominally less than 100 pounds. This is less thanhalf the weight conventionally believed necessary to provide afunctional rear tine CRT tiller, as discussed hereinabove. Unexpectedly,however, it has been found that the lightweight design of the presentinvention (resulting from the construction to be described hereinafter),operates successfully as a rear tine CRT tiller.

Additionally, contrary to conventional wisdom, the tiller of the subjectinvention has been shown to be easy to operate even without thecounterbalancing typically provided by cantilevering the engine in frontof the wheels. Indeed, the user may easily eliminate any wheel spin thatdoes occur by simply applying a light upward force to the handles. Thisaction serves to lift the tines slightly, thereby reducing the "bite" ofthe tines in the earth, thereby enabling the wheels to regain tractionand pull the machine forward. The present construction, therefore,provides the surprising results of operating successfully in the reartine CRT mode, while weighing less than half that of prior art CRTtillers.

Throughout this disclosure, directional indications such as downward andupward, when used in reference to the present invention and partsthereof, shall refer to the tiller when disposed in normal operatingorientation on level ground.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a cam lock device 62 is disposed on an uppersurface of chassis 44 for selectively releasing and engaging handles 32for raising and lowering the handles as well as for enabling the handlesto be pivoted about vertical axis f. Cam lock device 62 can bemanipulated by the operator using a single hand. The specificconstruction and operation of the cam lock device will be discussed indetail hereinafter. As mentioned hereinabove, wheels 36 have beenautomatically disengaged from the engine in response to the pivotalmovement of the handles and the tiller is therefore propelled solely bythe rotation of the tines in the CRT direction (arrow e). Means forautomatically disengaging the wheels will be discussed in greater detailhereinafter. In a preferred embodiment, hood 50 is not disposed over thetines when in this front tine tiller mode and a hood interlock (notshown) of a conventional mechanical or electromechanical construction ispreferably disposed to prevent operation of the tiller in the event theuser attempts to engage the hood in this mode. This feature therebyserves to prevent hinged extension 61 (FIG. 1) of the hood from catchingon the ground and interfering with operation of the tiller during fronttine operation. One possible embodiment of the hood interlock mayinclude an electric circuit having switches which change state inresponse to movement of the hood and handles, to thus deactivate theengine in the event the user attempts to operate the tiller in the fronttine mode without removing the hood.

An additional safety feature includes a stop or kill switch (not shown)employed to prevent operation of the tiller in the event the handles arerotated to the front tine position when in the SRT mode. This featuremay simply comprise conventional means such as that describedhereinabove with reference to the hood interlock, i.e. an electriccircuit comprising switches which change state in response to movementof the handles and the shaft housing. In this regard, a lug may bedisposed on the output shaft housing 42 which would therefore rotatewith the gearbox and shaft housing 42 when pivoting between the SRT andCRT positions, to selectively engage a switch disposed on the tiller.

Referring now to FIG. 4, output shaft 47 preferably comprises first andsecond end portions 64 and 66, respectively. The first end portionextends from the chassis towards gearbox 40 and the second end portionis disposed on the gearbox and extends towards the chassis. Each endportion 64 and 66, has an engagement knob 68 and 69, respectively,disposed thereon, of preferably square cross-section. The output shaftalso comprises a third intermediate portion 70 which preferablycomprises a hollow tube having a cross-section (preferably square) thatcompliments the cross-sectional shape of the engagement knobs 68 and 69to slidably receive the knobs therein, while preventing rotation of thefirst and second end portions 64 and 66, relative to one another, aboutaxis d. When so received, the second end portion of output shaft 47 willnecessarily rotate with the first end portion, while allowing relativelongitudinal movement therebetween to facilitate easy removal of thegear box from the tiller, as will be discussed hereinafter.

One skilled in the art will readily recognize that the first and secondend portions as well as the third intermediate portion, may have anycross-sectional shape, as long as the shape is asymmetrical aboutlongitudinal axis d.

As also shown, output shaft housing 42 is releasably received by areceptacle 84 disposed on chassis 44. The receptacle comprises a collarclamp having a pair of flanges 86 through which a releasable fastener,such as a threaded bolt (not shown) may pass. The fastener may beselectively tightened and loosened to allow the flanges to move towardsand away from one another to thereby clamp and release housing 42. Inthis manner, the output shaft housing may be selectively rotated aboutaxis d.

Referring now to FIG. 5A, power take off gearbox 40 comprises a wormgear 80 disposed on second end portion 66 of transmission output shaft47 (FIG. 4). The worm gear operatively engages worm wheel 82 to drivetine shaft 48 and thereby effect the aforementioned rotation of tines34.

As best shown in FIG. 5B, the use of the worm gear and worm wheel servesto minimize the offset or distance g between the axis d of transmissionoutput shaft 47 and the axis c of tine shaft 48. Minimizing this offsetis critical in order to provide adequate clearance between the groundand gearbox 40 when the tiller is disposed in the SRT mode of FIG. 1.

It has also been found that an important feature contributing to groundclearance in the SRT mode is the replacement of square corner 158 (shownin phantom), which would normally be present in the gearbox, with theradiused surface 110. As shown, this feature serves to reduce the radialdistance between axis c and the outer most surface of gearbox 40 byapproximately 0.5 inches as indicated by distance 1, measured along aline connecting axis i and corner 158 as shown. During operation of thetiller in the SRT mode, transmission output shaft 47 extends fromchassis 44 at an oblique angle towards the ground. Accordingly, whentilling at a maximum depth, the gearbox slides along the ground alongradiused surface 110, rather than along generally planar surface 160.Ground clearance is thus increased by between approximately 60-100percent of distance 1, depending on the angle at which axis d of shaft47 is disposed relative to the ground. One skilled in the art willrecognize that the angle of axis d and thus the amount of groundclearance ultimately gained by the elimination of corner 158 is afunction of the length of transmission output shaft 47 as well as thediameter of wheels 36.

Referring now to FIG. 6A, a preferred embodiment of depth regulator 54comprises an elongated cylindrical shaft 90 concentrically and slidablydisposed within a generally cylindrical sleeve 92. The sleeve extendsthrough and is rotatably disposed to hood 50 wherein the sleeve mayrotate about its longitudinal axis n but is prevented from movinglongitudinally relative thereto. A portion of the sleeve extends abovethe hood a predetermined distance and a pair of diametrically opposedslots 100 are disposed longitudinally along substantially the entirelength of the portion of the sleeve above the hood. A spring clip 94 isfastened to an upper end of shaft 90 and is selectively engageable withthe sleeve to adjust the position of the shaft relative thereto. Springclip 94 comprises a pair of elongated generally parallel legs 96 whichdepend from a resilient bight 98 which serves to bias the legs away fromone another. Each leg 96 has a generally circular aperture or opening 97disposed therein which is sized to permit sleeve 92 to pass therethroughwhen the legs are compressed against their bias towards a generallyparallel orientation, and to bind against sleeve 92 when the legs arereleased and biased away from one another. Openings 97 preferably have adiameter of between approximately 110 percent and 140 percent of thediameter of said shaft. The spring clip is fastened to shaft 90 by a pin91 fastened to clip 94 proximate one of the legs and which passes acrossopening 97, through the slots 100 and through a bore (not shown) ofshaft 90. In a preferred embodiment, a grip portion 102 is rigidlyfastened in a conventional manner to an uppermost leg 96 and the pin isdisposed thereon. This construction permits the user to selectivelyadjust the height of the depth regulator between a lower or downposition as shown and an upper or up position as shown in phantom. Thisadjustment is accomplished simply by grasping the spring clip about thelegs, (including grip portion 102) selectively compressing legs 96towards one another, sliding spring clip along the length of sleeve 92to the desired elevation, and releasing the legs to secure shaft 90 inposition. In this manner, depth regulator 54 is infinitely adjustablesince spring clip 94 may be secured at substantially any position alongthe length of the portion of sleeve 92 that extends above hood 50. Thisconstruction contrasts with conventional configurations which rely upona series of discrete detents to provide elevational adjustment.

Also disposed on hood 50 is a generally planar U-shaped fork 106 whichcomprises a pair of generally parallel prongs 108 that dependorthogonally from the hood in an upwards direction. Bight 98 is disposedbetween prongs 108 during substantially the entire range of motion ofthe spring clip along the length of sleeve 92. Accordingly, fork 106serves to prevent unintended rotation of sleeve 92 as will be discussedhereinafter. Bight 98 will however clear the prongs 108 when spring clip94 is disposed in the upper position as shown in phantom, to permitrotation of the sleeve.

Sleeve 92 extends downwardly from hood 50 a predetermined distanceterminating at a lower end at which a pair of diametrically opposed keys104 extend orthogonally therefrom. Each of the keys are selectivelyengageable with an annular trough 105 disposed on an inner surface of aU-shaped nose or bracket 56 in response to rotation of sleeve 92 aboutits axis. This sleeve rotation occurs when the user rotates spring clip94 about axis n, which will be discussed in greater detail hereinafterwith respect to the operation of the present invention. As shown, thekeys are preferably both engaged with the trough when the depthregulator is properly disposed on the bracket.

Referring now to FIG. 7, hooks 60 preferably pass through openings 112disposed in a flange 114 of hood 50. A latch 116, which for example, mayconveniently be a 300 Series latch, Part Number V3-0072-07, sold bySouthco, Inc., having a hooked blade 117, is disposed on the hoodproximate flange 114. Blade 117 is thereby engageable with a lower catch(not shown) of hook plate 118 to secure hood 50 thereto. Although thelower catch is not shown, it comprises an extension or protrusion thatextends from hook plate 118 in a manner substantially identical to uppercatch 120. Hood 50 may be secured to upper hooks 52 in a similar manner,with the blade 117 of latch 116 engaging upper catch 120.

Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9, cam lock device 62 generally comprises aconventional "quick release" type fastener having a handle 122 which isselectively pivotable between a fastened position as shown, and arelease position as shown in phantom (FIG. 8). The cam lock device maycomprise any number of conventional forms comprising a handle which ispivotable to selectively clamp and release a cylindrical member. Onesuitable embodiment is briefly described as follows.

Handle 122 is pivotably connected to a pin 128 which slidably passesthrough elongated slots 130 (FIG.8) disposed in stanchions 126 andthrough a bore 131 (FIG. 9 ) disposed in a collar 132. As best shown inFIG. 9, collar 132 comprises a block having a generally cylindrical bore134 extending therethrough which slidably receives cylindrical base 136of handles 32. Collar 132 does not extend a full 360 degrees about base136, but rather is provided with a gap 138 on one side thereof to form apair of discrete arms 140 which are movable relative to one another toselectively engage and release base 136. A fastener, such as a threadednut 142 (FIG. 9) is disposed on an end of pin 128 opposite that ofhandle 122. Handle 122 comprises a cam surface 124 having aprogressively increasing radius, which, in a manner known to one skilledin the art, serves to cam stanchions 126 towards one another when handle122 is moved from the release position to the fastened position. Suchmovement of the stanchions will in turn compress arms 140 towards oneanother to engage and secure base 136.

Additionally, collar 132 further comprises a bore 144 (FIG. 9). A pivotpin (not shown) extends through bore 144 and a pair of bores 145 (FIGS.8 and 9) disposed in stanchions 126 to pivotably secure collar 132thereto. Accordingly, when handle 122 is released, collar 132, andtherefore, base 136 of handles 32, is permitted to be pivoted about bore144 wherein pin 128 will travel within slots 130. In this manner, theuser may selectively raise and lower handles 32 and also rotate base 136about axis f (FIG. 3) to move handles 32 between the aforementionedfront tine and rear tine configurations. Once the handles are disposedin the desired configuration, handle 122 is moved to the fastenedposition. The user is thus able to adjust both the height of handles 32,as well as convert between front to rear tine operation, using a singlehand, without the use of tools, simply by manipulation of a singlefastener.

As mentioned hereinabove, wheels 36 (FIGS. 1-4) will not be driven whenthe tiller is in the front tine mode. Accordingly, in a preferredembodiment, the wheels will be automatically disengaged from the enginewhen the tiller is converted to the front tine mode. A variety ofembodiments may be utilized to accomplished this, one of which is shownin FIGS. 8 and 10-14.

Referring back to FIG. 8, a handle lever 146 depends orthogonally frombase 136 of handles 32. A link 152 extends therefrom and is pivotablyconnected to transmission lever 148. Lever 148 is pivotably disposed ona transmission shaft 149 which depends upwardly from transmission 45.Handle lever 146 pivots in response to rotation of the handles aboutaxis f (FIG. 3) which in turn, moves link 152 to pivot transmissionlever 148 in tandem with the handle lever. The levers 146 and 148 areoriented as shown when the tiller is disposed in the rear tineconfiguration of FIGS. 1 & 2. The levers are pivoted in the directionindicated by arrow k to the positions shown in FIG. 10 upon rotation ofthe handles to the front tine configuration. When so pivoted, the engineis disengaged from the wheels as mentioned hereinabove. A specificmechanism for accomplishing this disengagement will be discussedhereinafter.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, levers 146 and 148 generally rotate along anarc of less than 180 degrees and preferably between 10-35 degrees. Base136, however, as discussed hereinabove, rotates a full 180 degrees. Thisdisparate rotation is provided by the construction shown in FIGS. 11 and12.

Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12, handle lever 146 depends orthogonallyfrom a cylindrical rod 150 which is rotatably disposed concentricallywithin base 136 (FIG. 12). A generally annular trough 152 of apredetermined depth extends a predetermined distance about thecircumference of rod 150. A lug 154 (FIG. 12) is rigidly disposed in thewall of base 136 and extends into trough 152. The lug and troughengagement serves to retain rod 150 within base 136, while permittingthe base to rotate a predetermined angular distance relative to the rodbefore lug 154 engages either end 156 of trough 152 and thereby rotatesrod 150. In this manner, the lug picks up rod 150 which is then rotatedtherewith only during a portion of the rotational movement of thehandles, whereby the handles are permitted to rotate a full 180 degrees,while levers 146 and 148 pivot within the substantially smallerpreferred arc of 10-35 degrees.

Referring now to FIG. 13, transmission lever 148 is shown disposed ontransmission shaft 149 which itself is rotatably supported bytransmission 45. A wheel engagement lever 166 extends orthogonally froma lower end of shaft 149 and engages an abutment 168. This abutment isreceived by an annular channel 170 disposed circumferentially within agenerally cylindrical clutch disk 172. Clutch disk 172 is concentricallydisposed about wheel axle 37 such that it rotates with axle 37 whilebeing slidable in the axial direction as indicated by arrow m inresponse to pivotal movement of transmission lever 148.

Clutch disk 172 comprises a plurality of circumferentially spacedengagement fingers 174 which extend axially therefrom to selectivelyengage and disengage holes 176 disposed in drive gear 178 in response tothe axial movement of the clutch disk. The drive gear is concentricallydisposed about axle 37 in a manner which permits drive gear 178 torotate independently of the wheel axle, while it is prevented frommoving axially relative thereto. Drive gear 178 is driven continuouslyby the engine when the engine is activated so that when the clutch diskhas been moved axially a sufficient distance to allow fingers 174 to bereceived by holes 176, as shown in FIG. 13, the clutch disk (andconsequently, axle 37) is driven thereby. In a preferred embodiment,biasing means, such as a spring, (not shown) serves to bias the clutchdisk axially towards the drive gear to facilitate engagement therewith.

As shown in FIG. 14, clutch disk 172 has moved axially away from drivegear 178 in response to pivotal movement of lever 148, to disengagewheels 36.

Referring now to FIG. 15, wheels 36 each have a substantially planarinner surface 180 disposed generally transversely to axle 37 and whichfaces chassis 44 (FIGS. 1-4) when properly assembled the axle. Thesurface has a cavity 182 therein defined by a planar floor 184 which issubstantially parallel to surface 180, and walls 186 disposedtransversely thereto. Walls 186 each extend in a radial direction fromthe center of rotation of the wheel and are spaced at a predeterminedangle, preferably approximately 90 degrees, from one another. The cavityserves to receive a drive rod 188 which depends orthogonally from axle37. Wheel 36 is rotatably disposed about axle 37 wherein the axle mayrotate independently of the wheel for the predetermined angle untildrive rod 188 engages one of the walls 186. This construction therefore,in a simple and cost effective manner, drives both wheels, while it alsoallows the wheels to rotate independently of one another to a limiteddegree. The benefit accorded by such independent rotation is that theoutside wheel is permitted to rotate faster than the inside wheel whenturning the tiller around a corner. This feature therefore substantiallyreduces the scuffing or skidding which would otherwise occur duringturning if both wheels were rigidly fastened to the axle.

Referring now to FIGS. 16-18, the tines may be replaced with alternateimplements or attachments. These attachments are all preferably utilizedin the rear tine CRT mode. The hood is also typically engaged, althoughit is not shown in the drawings. In addition, wings (not shown) may beinstalled on either side of the hood to extend the hood a sufficientdistance to fully cover implements such as a power rake or dethatcher190 (FIG. 18) which may typically extend across a greater width than thestandard tines. The wings may conveniently be fastened to the hood inany conventional manner such as by threaded fasteners which pass throughoverlapping portions thereof. In addition to the power rake of FIG. 18,FIG. 16 shows the tines replaced with a conventional aerator 192 andFIG. 17 shows a conventional edger 194 disposed in place of the tines.Each of these attachments may be disposed on gearbox 40 by removing thetine shaft therefrom in a conventional manner. Alternatively, eachalternate implement may be disposed on its own gearbox 40 which can beselectively interchanged as discussed hereinafter.

Additional attachments, such as conventional snow thrower and sickle barattachments (not shown) may also be used in place of the tines when thetiller is in the front tine mode.

It should be understood by one skilled in the art that although theinvention was described as incorporating an internal combustion engine,any type of engine capable of rotatably driving an output shaft,including an electric motor, could be utilized without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the present invention.

A preferred embodiment of the invention having been fully described, thefollowing is a description of the operation thereof.

Operation of the rear tine SRT tiller of FIG. 1 comprises adjusting theheight of depth regulator 54 by squeezing legs 96 (FIG. 6A) together andsliding spring clip 94 along sleeve 92 as discussed hereinabove. Onceproperly adjusted, the tiller is then operated in a conventional manner.

The tiller is converted to CRT operation by first removing the hood fromthe tiller. This is accomplished by disengaging latch 116 (FIG. 7) fromthe chassis. The user then raises the spring clip to its uppermostposition relative to the sleeve to clear the prongs as shown in phantomin FIG. 6A. Once clear, the spring clip may then be rotated about axis napproximately 90 degrees to orient one of the diametrically opposed keysof sleeve 92 towards the open portion of U-shaped bracket 56. When sodisposed, the sleeve may be removed from the bracket simply by slidingit out the open portion. This action will move the hood away from thechassis to simultaneously disengage the hood from hooks 52 (FIG. 7) andrelease the hood from the tiller.

The next step is to loosen the fastener that holds flanges 86 (FIG. 4)of receptacle 84. Receptacle 84 will thereby release gearbox 40 andpermit the gearbox to be rotated 180 degrees about axis d. Once thegearbox is so rotated, the fastener is then tightened to secure thegearbox in this inverted position. In this orientation, the tiller willoperate in the CRT mode as discussed hereinabove. Movement of the tinesinto the CRT mode will also serve to disengage the stop or kill switchas discussed hereinabove, which would otherwise prevent the handles frombeing pivoted into the front tine mode.

The hood is then replaced on the tiller by reversing the aforementionedhood removal steps, with the exception that openings 112 of the hood areengaged with lower hooks 60 (FIG. 7), rather than upper hooks 52 of thechassis. Additionally, once installed, as set forth hereinabove, springclip 94 is rotated an additional 180 degrees, wherein legs 96 extendtowards, rather than away from, the chassis. This serves to point lowerend 58 of the depth regulator towards the chassis. The depth regulatoris typically not used in the rear tine CRT mode because CRT tilling isgenerally used to till to a maximum depth in hard soil or previouslyuntilled soil. The depth regulator is therefore maintained in itsuppermost position by release of the spring clip in its uppermostposition relative to sleeve 92. In this manner, lower end 58 of thedepth regulator is disposed in generally superposed relation to a lowerportion of gearbox 40, as shown in FIG. 2 to "nest" the lower end withthe gearbox. When so disposed, keys 104 are engaged with trough 105 ofbracket 56 to secure the hood to the chassis and gearbox, while thedepth regulator is stored in a manner which prevents it from interferingwith operation of the tines.

When in this rear tine CRT mode, the tiller is operable in a generallyconventional manner. As mentioned hereinabove, in the event the wheelsdo lose traction and begin to spin, the user need simply apply a lightupward pressure to the handles to permit the wheels to regain traction.This lifting action is facilitated by the aforementioned light overallweight of the tiller.

Also in the rear tine CRT mode, the tines may be replaced with alternateimplements, such as the aforementioned edger, aerator and dethatcher orpower rake. Such replacement may be made simply by removing the threadedfasteners which secure the tines to the tine shaft and replacing withthe alternate implements. Alternatively, the alternate implements may bedisposed on separate gearboxes, wherein they may be installed simply byloosening the receptacle 84 (FIG. 4), removing the existing gearbox andreplacing it with the gearbox on which the desired implement isdisposed. This simple gearbox replacement is enabled by the sectionalconstruction of transmission output shaft 47 as discussed hereinabovewhich permits the second end portion 66 to be separated fromintermediate portion 70 of the output shaft simultaneously withwithdrawal of the output shaft housing from receptacle 84.

In both the rear tine SRT and CRT modes, once the user begins tillingoperations, the wheel axle will begin to rotate until drive rod 188(FIG. 15) thereof engages one of the walls of cavity 182 of the wheelsto drive the wheels forward. When the user turns the tiller, the wheeldisposed on the inside of the turn will generally remain engaged withthe drive rod. During the turn however, the wheel disposed on theoutside of the turn is permitted to rotate up to 90 degrees (in thepreferred embodiment) ahead of the wheel axle. Since both wheelsoptimally are provided with a cavity 182 and drive rod 188, during thisturn, the inside wheel may also be rotated up to 90 degrees in thebackwards direction relative to the rotation of the wheel axle. Thecombination of these two actions thus permit one wheel to rotate a full180 degrees ahead of the other wheel without scuffing, as mentionedhereinabove, to greatly improve maneuverability of the tiller.

The tiller may be converted to the front tine tilling or cultivatingmode as follows. The first step involves removing the hood in the mannerdiscussed above. As discussed hereinabove, the hood interlock willprevent the tiller from operating in the front tine mode unless the hoodhas been removed. The next step involves loosening handle 122 (FIG. 8)of the cam lock device to release handles 32 (FIG. 1), pivoting thehandles 180 degrees and adjusting the handle height in the mannerdiscussed hereinabove, followed by tightening the handle to secure thehandles in place.

The pivoting action of the handles will serve to pivot handle lever 146(FIG. 10) which, in turn, pivots transmission lever 148 (FIG. 13),transmission shaft 149 and wheel engagement lever 166. Lever 166consequently pivots abutment 168 which serves to disengage clutch disk172 from drive gear 178. In this manner, the wheels are automaticallydisengaged from the engine whenever the tiller is converted into thefront tine mode.

The tiller may be converted back to either of the previously describedmodes by simply reversing the aforementioned steps.

The foregoing description is intended primarily for purposes ofillustration. Although the invention has been shown and described withrespect to an exemplary embodiment thereof, it should be understood bythose skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes,omissions, and additions in the form and detail thereof may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

    ______________________________________    PARTS LIST    ______________________________________    30                tiller    32                handles    34                tines    36                wheels    37                wheel axle    38                convex leading edge    40                power take off gearbox    42                output shaft housing    44                chassis    46                engine    47                transmission output shaft    48                tine shaft    50                hood    52                upper slots or hooks    54                depth regulator    56                nose or bracket    58                lower end    60                lower slots or hooks    61                hinged extension    62                cam lock device    64                first end portion    66                second end portion    68                engagement knob    69                engageinent knob    70                third intermediate portion    72                pulley housing    74                inboard side    76                outboard side    80                worm gear    82                worm wheel    84                receptacle    86                flanges    90                cylindrical shaft    91                pin    92                sleeve    94                spring clip    96                legs    97                aperture or opening    98                bight (of spring clip)    100               slots    102               grip portion    104               keys    105               trough    106               fork    108               prongs    110               radiused surface    112               openings    114               flange    116               latch    117               hooked blade    118               hook plate    120               upper catch    122               handle    124               cam surface    126               stanchions    128               pin    130               elongated slots    131               bore    132               collar    134               bore    136               base    138               gap    140               arms    142               nut    144               bore    145               bores (stanchions)    146               handle lever    148               transmission lever    149               transmission shaft    150               rod    151               transmission    152               trough    154               lug    156               end of trough    158               corner    160               planar surface    164               standard bearings    166               wheel engagement lever    168               abutment    170               channel    172               clutch disk    174               engagement fingers    176               holes    178               drive gear    180               inner surface of wheels    182               cavity    184               floor    186               walls    188               drive rod    190               power rake    192               aerator    194               edger    ______________________________________

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed is:
 1. A gardentiller, comprising:a chassis; at least one pair of ground engagingwheels supporting the chassis; a plurality of tines disposed on thechassis for working soil; a handle for guiding the garden tiller,wherein the handle is selectively vertically adjustable on a verticalaxis; and a releasable locking device for enabling the selectivevertical adjustment of the handle and for locking the handle intoposition, wherein the releasable locking device is manually operable bya user using only a single hand.
 2. The garden tiller of claim 1,wherein the releasable locking device comprises a cam lock device. 3.The garden tiller of claim 2 wherein the cam lock device comprises ahandle selectively pivotable between a fastened position and a releaseposition.
 4. The garden tiller of claim 3, further comprising agenerally vertical base for the handle, wherein the cam lock devicefurther comprises:a collar for selectively engaging and releasing thegenerally vertical base; a pair of stanchions on either side of thecollar; a pin coupled and slidably responsive to the handle situatedwithin an opening in the collar and openings in the pair of stanchions;and a fastener for connecting to the pin at an end opposite the handleso as to prevent the pin from pulling back through the stanchionopening.
 5. The garden tiller of claim 1, wherein the handle isselectively pivotable between a position above the plurality of tinesand a position above the at least one pair of ground engaging wheels. 6.The garden tiller of claim 5, further comprising a releasable lockingdevice for enabling the handle to be selectively locked in the positionabove the plurality of tines and the position above the at least onepair of ground engaging wheels.
 7. The garden tiller of claim 6, whereinthe releasable locking device is manually operable by a user using onlya single hand.
 8. The garden tiller of claim 7, wherein the releasablelocking device further enables the selective vertical adjustment of thehandle.
 9. The garden tiller of claim 7, wherein the releasable lockingdevice comprises a cam lock device.
 10. A garden tiller, comprising:achassis; at least one pair of ground engaging wheels; at least one axlecoupling the at least one pair of ground engaging wheels and thechassis; and a drive rod coupled to the at least one axle for each ofthe at least one pair of ground engaging wheels, each drive rod fittingwithin a cavity of one of the at least one pair of ground engagingwheels, the cavity sized to allow rotation of the wheel apart from theaxle until encountering a wall of the cavity.
 11. The garden tiller ofclaim 10, wherein the cavity is located on an inner surface of thewheel, and wherein the cavity is sized to allow up to about a 90°rotation of the wheel apart from the axle.
 12. The garden tiller ofclaim 11, wherein one of the at least one pair of ground engaging wheelsis rotatable up to about 180° ahead of the other of the at least onepair of ground engaging wheels.
 13. A garden tiller, comprising:achassis; at least one pair of ground engaging wheels supporting thechassis; a plurality of tines disposed on the chassis for working soil;means for guiding the garden tiller, wherein the means for guiding isselectively vertically adjustable on a vertical axis; and a releasablelocking device for enabling the selective vertical adjustment of themeans for guiding and for locking the means for guiding into position,wherein the releasable locking device is manually operable by a userusing only a single hand.
 14. The garden tiller of claim 13, wherein thereleasable locking device comprises a cam lock device.
 15. The gardentiller of claim 14, wherein the cam lock device comprises a handleselectively pivotable between a fastened position and a releaseposition.
 16. The garden tiller of claim 15, further comprising agenerally vertical base for the means for guiding, wherein the cam lockdevice further comprises:a collar for selectively engaging and releasingthe generally vertical base; a pair of stanchions on either side of thecollar; a pin coupled and slidably responsive to the handle situatedwithin an opening in the collar and openings in the pair of stanchions;and a fastener for connecting to the pin at an end opposite the handleso as to prevent the pin from pulling back through the stanchionopening.
 17. The garden tiller of claim 13, wherein the means forguiding is selectively pivotable between a position above the pluralityof tines and a position above the at least one pair of ground engagingwheels.
 18. The garden tiller of claim 17, further comprising areleasable locking device for enabling the means for guiding to beselectively locked in the position above the plurality of tines and theposition above the at least one pair of ground engaging wheels.
 19. Thegarden tiller of claim 13, wherein the releasable locking device ismanually operable by a user using only a single hand.
 20. The gardentiller of claim 19, wherein the releasable locking device furtherenables the selective vertical adjustment of the means for guiding. 21.The garden tiller of claim 19, wherein the releasable locking devicecomprises a cam lock device.